A Surprise Christmas Wedding - Phillipa Ashley Page 0,79
through his.
‘Dum-dum-di-dum …’ Alicia hummed from the ballroom.
Jay shook his head but there was a smile on his face.
‘We’re not having the “Bridal March”,’ Connor said. ‘We’re having “The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba”. Keegan thinks it’s classier.’
‘Really?’ Alicia said. ‘What about “I Should be So Lucky” by Kylie Minogue?’
‘You’re so funny, Alicia,’ Connor said icily.
Alok snapped away, asking them to pause halfway to the dais where Connor waited.
‘OK. Connor, turn and look back at your bride and look gobsmacked at her gorgeousness,’ Alok joked, as the shutter clicked endlessly.
Connor didn’t look gobsmacked. He had a face like thunder, and Lottie could only think that he seemed jealous … jealous that she was with Jay, but how was that possible when he was about to marry Keegan?
Finally, they reached the dais but Jay showed no sign of letting go of Lottie’s arm. She didn’t know whether to pull it away. She didn’t want to.
While Connor had a smile on his face, his expression was stony. ‘I think this is where I take over, mate,’ he said.
In a moment, Jay let go of her and she was face to face with Connor.
He smiled softly. ‘Lottie?’ he murmured, holding her gaze. There was a tenderness and intensity behind that look, which threw her back over a year, to the night on the beach when he’d asked her to marry him. The joy and excitement of that moment rushed back and made her stomach flip all over again.
‘I think that’ll do,’ Alok called.
Snapping out of her trance, Lottie stepped away from Connor and swung around to thank Jay but he was already metres away. ‘If you don’t need me any more, I’ll get on with my work,’ he muttered.
‘I think we’re done with you,’ Connor cut in. ‘Thanks for standing in. You played the part of Keegan’s dad well.’
Lottie was sure he’d emphasised the word ‘dad’.
‘Thanks, Jay,’ she called.
‘You’re welcome,’ he said and, with a brief smile, he left. Lottie was assailed by emotions. The feel of Jay’s arm through hers, the longing look on his face when they’d waited together outside the ballroom. Then, Connor, staring at her with an intensity that had thrown her back to one heady night when their future had sparkled like a diamond.
The loss had taken her by surprise but so had the look in Jay’s eyes.
She had the strangest feeling she’d been standing at a fork in the road: one way lay the past and the other the future, yet she couldn’t decide which to choose.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Nine days to the wedding
After the drama of the ball and the wedding run-through, Lottie was relieved to immerse herself in family life, by helping Steph with the nativity costumes. It had taken them several evenings until late to get them ready for the play, which was taking place the week after, at the end of term just days before the wedding. Despite her hectic schedule, Lottie wasn’t going to miss the play for the world. She hoped Steph had found the frantic cutting and sewing had helped to take her mind up off the scan she had the next day. Despite all her offers, Steph had insisted that Lottie shouldn’t take extra time off come to the actual scan with her and Lottie had had to agree but was adamant she would go with her to get the results.
For a short time, the sewing had helped keep Lottie’s thoughts from dwelling on the bizarre wedding ‘rehearsal’. Since she’d walked up the ‘aisle’ with Jay, she’d seen him in passing, going in and out of the cottage and crossing the stable yard to the offices, but they hadn’t spoken.
‘Ow!’ Lottie cried out.
‘Auntie Lottie! You’ve prickled your finger!’ Myra cried, bringing Lottie back to reality.
‘Like Sleeping Beauty,’ Jodie said. ‘There’s blood on your finger.’
‘Oh. It’s only a tiny drop,’ Lottie said, sucking her finger where the needle had cut it. She dabbed it with a tissue and resolved to concentrate on the job in hand.
Myra’s donkey had proved relatively simple, fashioned from a grey fleecy throw and an Eeyore hat that Myra already had. It turned out that she’d volunteered for the role of donkey precisely because of the Eeyore hat. It had seen some action and needed some running repairs.
The lobster was more of a challenge.
‘Bloody Love Actually has a lot to answer for!’ Steph declared, explaining that Jodie had seen a trailer clip of it on the TV and been adamant that no other creature would do.